Wish
by fuuko no miko
Summary: Be careful of what you wish for...an AU fic starring Rei of Sailor Moon and Tasuki of Fushigi Yuugi
1. A Birthday Celebration

WISH

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailormoon or Fushigi Yuugi or any of their characters. Usage is primarily for purposes of entertainment.

Author's Notes: Hello readers. This is the slightly revised, 2007 version of my 6 year old (probably older) work. There's probably not much I am going to change about it. Let it be known that my life has changed dramatically since it's conception and may influence the fic. Also I'd like to let you know that I do not know everything that happened in Fushigi Yuugi since I was mostly working when it was showing. Thus some, or perhaps even most of my details of what's happening at Mt. Leikaka (Reikaku or whatever its million of alterations) may be incorrect. I humbly implore that you forgive these inaccuracies and simply enjoy the story for what it's worth. Also I have not seen ALL of sailormoon. I've seen most of it. I know mostly the anime Rei. Same goes for Tasuki. Please don't flame me on basis of purity or faithfulness to the works of Naoko Takeuchi and Yuu Watase. It's only fanfiction after all. :-)

"Be careful of what you wish for, you just might get it."

Prologue

A Birthday Celebration

"Koji-sama, you sure he's going to like this?" one of the bandits asked the blue-haired Mt. Reikaku right-hand-man while putting up decorations. 

"Of course." Kouji assured as he put down a big jar of sake on the festivity table. "Once he sees all this sake, he won't complain about having extravagant celebrations, ne?"

"Can I taste some of the sake, huh, Otou-san?" a tiny blue-haired boy with bright eyes tugged at Koji's pants.

"Ayyiiii, you're only 4 years old, Ryobe-chan." Koji squatted to ruffle his son's hair. "Maybe when you're old enough...like 6 or 7, okay?" he winked at the boy who was all starry-eyed at the promise. "Now run along and help your mother with the food, ne?"

The other bandit shook his head as Ryobe ran away to help his mother. "Errr...don't you think it's a little early for Ryobe to go sake-training?"

Koji laughed, "Life is short, my friend. That's why we must seize all opportunities when they come along."

"What the &$ is this all about?" Tasuki demanded as he was being escorted to the main hall of the bandit stronghold two hours later by Koji and the other bandit named Fumaru.

"Wait and see..." Koji winked at this friend. On cue, he and Fumaru kicked the doors open and revealed a room full of Mt. Reikaku bandits, dressed in their Sunday's best (if they ever had one ) and surrounding a long table filled with loads of food and twice as much sake. At the center of the table was Ryobe, holding the Mt. Reikaku version of a birthday cake topped with 21 candles.

"Happy Birthday To You..." the already half-drunk bandits sung off-key. "Happy Birthday To You..."

Tasuki shot an accusing glare at Koji who was twiddling his thumbs and sweatdropping like hell. "And this is supposed to be..."

"It isn't everyday you get to celebrate your 21st birthday, ne?" Koji grinned. He prepared himself for his best friend's onslaught when a small voice piped up next to them.

"Happy Birthday, Genrou-sama." Ryobe smiled, holding up the cake with the candles towards his father's best friend.

Tasuki's expression softened upon seeing the little boy's face. Koji snickered. His son knew well enough to save his father's hide. Tasuki had a special fondness for the little tyke. He took up the boy in his arms and carried him back to the dinner table where everyone was still singing the Birthday song to their almighty leader.

"Happy Birthday...Happy Birthday..."

"Happy Birthday to you..."

Rei's eyes lit with excitement as she gandered at the beautifully decorated birthday cake before her. Baked especially by Mako-chan decorated with white gumpaste casablancas and lined with ribbons and silver candles. The candles' lights reflected through her violet eyes...all eighteen of them burning brightly.

It was her birthday, and despite all protests, her friends put up a small party for her at Hikawa Jinja. A small gathering of friends in contrast to the extravagant debutante's ball her father had wanted for her. He isn't even here, Rei thought bitterly. But she had learned to ignore her father's absence during her birthday celebrations. It would only dampen her somewhat elated mood. And it wouldn't be right to be unhappy when her friends worked hard to give her such a wonderful party. Makoto had baked the cake and done most of the cooking with Ami's help (Usagi had been denied access to the kitchen, thankfully). Minako and Usagi made up all the decorations. It was simple but pretty, and Rei was happy beyond words.

"Make a wish..." Minako reminded her as she closed her eyes and prepared to blow.

Rei thought hard on what she wanted before making up her mind. Her gaze wandered around the four elated girls surrounding her. The smiles on their faces was infectious. If only she could hold on to something like it longer...she thought. For when they were here, she forgot all her loneliness, her longing, her emptiness. Life at Hikawa Jinja wasn't always happy. Fact is, it hardly was. It was the presence of these four young women who made it so...and when they leave...

Rei smiled inwardly when she reached a decision. _I wish to find a person who would make me happy_...Rei spoke in her inner thoughts. _Forever._

"Come on, Gen-chan! Blow the candles!" one of the bandits called out.

"Yeah, so we can dig in and grub already!" yelled another.

"Don't forget to make a wissshhh..." a third one teased.

"Bet ya it'll be for a lifetime's supply of sake..." joked another.

A smirk appeared on Genrou's lips. _What do I want?_ he asked himself as he prepared to blow the candles off. Sure it was no big deal, wishing before blowing off the candles. It was nothing but a traditional ceremony. But for some very strange reason, he felt he should make this wish a good one. His gaze wandered off to Koji who was carrying his four-year-old kid, shouting with glee.

_I wish_, he thought, _I wish I could be as happy and content as Koji is..._

And with that, he blew all 21 candles.

A single whiff of air put out eighteen candles at the same time.

And as the scent of blown-out candles caught Rei's nostrils, she thought she had smelled a whiff of sake.

Tasuki inhaled a scent of flowers...casablancas if he wasn't mistaken. But...where did they come from?

Rei's friends clapped merrily in the background.

A gang of bandits yelled in unison. "Feeding time!"

"Finally!" Usagi declared happily, the drool coming from her mouth. "We get to taste the cake...yuuuum!" she reached out to dip a finger in the red-and-white delicacy when her hand was halted by a firm grasp.

"Oi, the birthday celebrant gets to cut first." Rei scolded, trying to stop Usagi from haggling the cake.

"But I'm hungry..." Usagi contested, going all wobbly-eyed.

And all three other Sailor Senshis sweatdropped as Usagi and Rei wrestled each other trying to get to the cake.

"And to think we're already grown women." Makoto sighed.

"Supposedly." laughed Ami.

Tasuki sighed as he watched his fellow bandits dig in the food Koji's wife, Mitsuko had helped prepare. He helped himself as well, taking a little bit of everything and loading a heckuva lot of sake. He joined in the merry festivities, but every once in a while, his eyes would wander off to Koji and his kawaii little boy who was very much a chibi version of himself. Tasuki would be lying if he said he didn't want to have a little boy like Ryobe to tag along with him every once in a while, asking him silly questions and touching everything he wasn't supposed to. But then, having one would require him to have a wife...a woman to live with him and give him heirs to the throne of the Mt. Reikaku stronghold. He felt his skin crawl with the thought. UGH! Why must a man have a woman to get himself kids? Why can't he just have them by himself, produce them in a blink of an eye like the wolves with his ofuda scrolls? Why must one tolerate a bantering, nagging old hag with him just to make kawaii kids like that? He was suddenly reminded of his own childhood...

Is that why he felt empty these past few months? He had been feeling wanton recently, and he didn't quite understand why. He did, however note, that the feeling of discontent appeared everytime he took a gander at Koji and Ryobe, father and son that they are. Watching the facial expressions on Koji whenever Ryobe aksed what the horses were doing on the stable and if what the bandits are doing is illegal. Seeing them ride a horse together and chase rabbits and fowls about the stronghold. Observing them as the little boy would stuggle to carry the sack of goods they had stolen and bring it to headquarters even if he couldn't even budge them.

_Shimatta_. Tasuki thought. He was getting soft, and it was Koji's fault. Koji and his sudden surge of fatherhood hormones was beginning to get to him. Making him feel discontent and making him feel what he's not usually akin to. All of a sudden he thinks he's incomplete and unhappy. Tasuki smirked as he remembered his birthday wish. Perhaps he should've wished for a lifetime of supply of sake. At least that was more reachable.

Rei sat in the middle of the small party as her friends (well, Usagi mostly) dove into the cake, ice cream and every other delicacy was spread on the decorated table. Her smiled and laughed and enjoyed the celebration despite knowing it was going to be mere memory soon. A fleeting sensation of happiness. Nothing is permanent or defined in this world, she knew that. However, was it so impossible to have something or someone come into her life that would stay and make all things bright and beautiful for more than just a limited time? Usagi had her Mamoru. Ami had her books, and last she heard Ryo was back in town. She couldn't recall who Makoto was seeing at present (she couldn't keep track who was an ex and who was her current flame) but whoever he was, he sure put a permanent smile on her face. Minako was just happy. Always. Regardless.

Her grandfather fell seriously ill a few weeks ago. And although he had made an excellent recovery, that episode had only reminded Rei that he was not immortal and that his years on this green earth can only last so long. She cannot be in denial that one day he was going to leave her too. Her father can be relied on more to be there for his political party than he ever would be for his own flesh and blood.

Loneliness and solitude appears to be a mere heartbeat away.

And this is why she had made that wish with all her heart and all her soul.

But as they say...

Be careful of what you wish for...

Be very careful indeed.

TO BE CONTINUED

This story is dedicated to the two men in my life...my husband and my son, the two I had longed and wished for.


	2. A Face In The Mirror

**WISH**

**by [Kou Rei][1]**

**Chapter 1**

**A Face In The Mirror**

**[Continuation][2]**

**"That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard." Rei said, crossing her arms after hearing Usagi's tale.******

**"But it says so here." Usagi said, showing Rei the magazine where the article was written. "May Day Eve." she said the title aloud. "On the eve of the first day of May, at midnight, you could see the man you are going to marry by looking through a mirror and chanting a spell."******

**"Let me see that." Makoto took the magazine from Usagi's hands. "According to old folklore, all you have to do is look through a mirror on the midnight of May the 1st, ask the mirror to show you the man you're going to marry."******

**"How romantic!!!" Minako sighed dreamily. "I think I'll try that spell tonight...it's May the first right???"******

**"Wait...there's more..." Makoto interrupted, her eyes scanning through the article. "But sometimes, the mirror may not show you the man you will marry, and instead...will show you a demon's face!"******

**"Yikes!" Usagi exclaimed, shaking. "I don't think I'd ever want to do that...I don't want to see demons!"******

**"Chicken." Rei taunted. "As if you've never seen one...you've run into youmas often enough to last a lifetime."******

**"Am not a chicken!"******

**"Are too!"******

**"Am not!"******

**"I don't think you need to look into the mirror, Usagi." Ami said, trying to pacify the two. "I'm quite sure you already have an idea who you're going to marry."******

**Usagi blushed, twiddling her index fingers. "Errr....I suppose you're right." Her eyes turning dreamy. "My Mamo-chan...."******

**"Well I don't think I'm going to try it." Minako said. "I don't want to see a demon...it's too...creepy."******

**"I'm dying of curiosity." Makoto commented. "I might want to try it...hmmm...if I don't fall asleep before midnight, that is."******

**"I still think it's a load of rubbish." Rei said. She stood up and headed for the kitchen. "Anyone for snacks?"******

**"Me! Me!" Usagi volunteered, racing to the kitchen before anyone else could stand up. The rest of the seishi merely sweatdropped.******

**That night, Rei entered her room to sleep. She had spent most of the evening in front of the Great Fire, meditating. She turned her head from side to side, holding her painful neck. She neglects to notice these little pains when she was deeply ensconced in her meditation and they usually pop up after. Her eyes noted the little alarm clock by her bed. Eleven forty-five. Fifteen minutes to midnight. Everytime she got engaged in her sessions by the fire, she forgot the passage of time. She changed into her pink sleeping gown and prepared to get some shut-eye when she noted the magazine on her tabletop.******

**The page had been turned to the article Makoto and Usagi had been reading about earlier when the girls were having another get together. May Day Eve had been its title. Rei picked the magazine up, reading the article. It had been as Makoto said, a spell which was done on the midnight of May 1st, using a candle and a mirror. To see either the man of your dreams or a demon.******

**_Ridiculous_. Rei thought.******

**And yet there's a part of her that's telling her to try it.******

**_It's harmless_, a voice was telling her. _Big deal if you see a demon instead of your dreamboat. And besides, you haven't had a battle with a youma in ages...you could use a little adventure. What's there to lose?_******

**But it's stupid...another part of her was saying. One shouldn't rely on ridiculous spells to find the man of your dreams. It's absurd. Silly.******

**At twelve o'clock midnight, Rei found herself in front of a full-length mirror in her bedroom, holding a candelabra.******

**"Mirror...mirror...on the wall...show me the man who will love me...." she recited the spell she had read from the magazine article. She repeated the chant three times.******

**Rei waited.******

**Ka-booom!!!******

**A loud thunderclap boomed overhead, almost jolting Rei from her stand. This was followed by rain that began falling in large drops on the roof of the shrine. Rei stood there, unmoving, waiting for the mirror to show her something...anything. At that time, the rain began to fall heavily, continously, creating sounds of drumming over the rooftops. The breeze that entered through her window was cold and strong, blowing her ebony hair in all directions and killing the flame off the candle she was holding. All the while she stared at the mirror...looking for any sign of a man...or a monster...whichever the mirror chooses to show her.******

**_Funny how the rain suddenly showed up_, Rei thought. It wasn't exactly the time of the year to have rain suddenly appear out of nowhere. She distinctly remembered seeing a cloudless night sky a while ago, and there was no lightning preceeding the thunder she had heard. Strange. But then again, she must've been too preoccupied with the spell and had not noticed the lightning that may have gone by, or the clouds that may have gathered in the night sky. She ignored the thought and kept her eyes focused on the mirror, waiting for the results of her spell.******

**_Why is it cold all of a sudden?_ Tasuki wondered, as he felt a cold breeze brush his cheek, waking him up from his slumber. He got up and rubbed his eyes. A sudden gust of wind caused him to shiver. He grumbled and walked over to the open window. There seemed to have been a sudden downpour, with the rain pounding mercilessly on the roof. That and strong winds accompanying it. Tasuki closed his windows as a loud thunderclap exploded above. He went to his trunk and pulled out a thick blanket. He was about to go back to bed when a flash of lightning illuminated his bedroom.******

**What was that?******

**His eyebrows met and he rubbed his eyes again. The lightning flash had lit up his bedroom for all but a millisecond, and something had caught his eye. He walked over to the full-length mirror across the room and stared at it curiously. Just a moment ago, he thought he had seen something wrong...something strange about the mirror...like a reflection of sorts...******

**Rei was about to give up upon seeing nothing but her own reflection. _I knew it wasn't true_, she said to herself, berating herself for even believing a fraction of that tall tale. She turned to put the candle away when the ligthning overhead struck and cast a light upon the room.******

**A figure.******

**Rei's head snapped back, turning her gaze back to the mirror. At the corner of her eye, she noted something in the mirror...something moving! She took small steps back to it, treading carefully and preparing herself for the vision she was to meet. When she came closer, she saw her own reflection again, but this time, it seemed as if there was another image superimposed on her own. What was it?******

**_Why the @$&% am I wearing a skirt?_ Tasuki thought as he put his face closer to the mirror which he was staring at now with extreme curiosity. He had seen another reflection other than his own when he came to the mirror. At this point it was cast over his figure and he looked as if he was wearing a dress of sorts.******

**Obake???******

**Oni!!!******

**Rei stepped back upon getting a clearer view of the translucent figure. It was...a man...a tall man, about a full head taller than she was...with flaming hair and fangs!!! _Shimatta!_ The mirror had shown her a demon!!!******

**_No demon is going to scare me_, she thought. She immediately drew one of her ofuda scrolls and recited, "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen. Akuryou taisan!"******

**"What the hell..." Tasuki said as he saw the spirit in the mirror draw an ofuda scroll. His immediate reflexes told him it was going to cast a spell on him and he quickly took out a scroll of his own. "Come out, wolves!" he commanded.******

**They threw their scrolls simultaneously. And as wolf began to put it's head out through Rei's side of the mirror, she had slapped on it her scroll, and it disappeared in a blink of an eye.******

**Tasuki was taken aback. "Nani? What is this? My wolf..." The spirit apparently was stronge than he expected. He made a quick dash for his tessen and aimed it at the mirror. "Lekka..."******

**"Oi, Genrou..." a loud rapping came by the door.******

**Tasuki turned at the sound of the voice. "Koji?"******

**The blue-haired bandit entered the door. "Oiya, are you alright? I thought I heard some noise here." His gaze shifted to Tasuki's hand which was holding the tessen and aiming at the mirror. "Eerr...what seems to be the problem?"******

**"There...." Tasuki motioned towards the reflection. "There's something...somebody in the mirror...a ghost! A witch! I dunno what the &#$@ it is but it's there!" He pulled Koji back as the latter attempted to get a look at the mirror. "Careful! It has powers...it just cancelled out my wolf!"******

**Koji took a long, good look at Tasuki's point of reference. He then shifted his attention to his best friend. "I don't see anything." One of his eyebrows raised. "You sure you didn't have a little to much sake on you, Gen-chan?"******

**"IT'S &\%&$# THERE!!!!" he screamed, throwing all caution to the wind and approaching the mirror. He saw nothing but his own reflection. Tasuki searched high and low even behind the looking glass, and there was nothing, nobody to be found.******

**Koji was shaking his head. "Go to sleep, Gen-chan." he walked away and headed for the door. "Quite a storm, ne? Must be the lightning that's making you see things. 'Night!"******

**Tasuki was fuming with anger. Not so much with Koji but with that illusion that seemed to have come and go out of nowhere. He once again approached the reflecting glass and stared at it. The figure was no longer there...but wait..it was! Tasuki focused his eyes harder and noted that the figure of whatever-was-there, was still! But it was no longer in front of the mirror. It seemed to have backed away. It was...going to sleep??? He could barely make out the dark figures but it appeared as though it was heading for a bed. It was....******

**A girl?******

**A young girl, he realized. Or a ghost of a young girl...he thought. With long, dark hair and sporting a long, wide gown.******

**Rei, after casting out the demon, decided to go to bed. The demon had seemingly disappeared after she slapped it with her scroll. But she was still cautious that it might come back. She only moved to her bed so it may not be able to reach her immediately in case it comes out. Sitting there, she was almost relieved that it had gone. But now, she noticed it was beginning to appear again. Rei was about to transform into Sailor Mars when she thought otherwise.******

**_What if it's not a demon_, she thought. _What if it was some lost soul looking for help? What if it was some cursed spirit seeking for assistance?_ But then his hair was aflame and his teeth...then again, looks can be decieving.******

**_If only I can ask the Great Fire now..._******

**Rei closed her eyes, concentrating. She felt no evil presence coming from the mirror. She opened them and looked at the mirror once more. Nothing. Rei knew the extent of her powers of perception. If this spirit had been evil, she would have felt an impending sense of doom at once. Immediately. Either her senses were right or some strange power was blunting it. She decided to face the spirit head on.******

**Tasuki's brows met as he saw the figure approaching him. Should he attack? He kept his tessen in check, holding it firmly and preparing to defend himself in case she does do something. On closer view, she looked relatively harmless. She was petite, barely reaching up to his shoulder. Her long hair, ebony black with purple highlights, extended down to her waist. He could see her eyes, wide, violet and fringed with long black lashes. Much as he hated to admit it, he thought she was rather....er....nice looking...******

**Rei squinted, trying to focus on the image opposite her. He was tall, broad-shouldered and well-built. His hair was still aflame. It was red...no...blonde red...or...it reminded her of a burning flame. His eyes were slanted, in a hue of gold, and his teeth...they looked a lot like fangs. Weren't they? Rei was suddenly reminded of a wolf. Yes, that's what he looked like, a red-maned wolf.******

**Rei raised her right hand and reached out towards the mirror, seeing if she could touch the spirit within. At the same time, Tasuki outreached as well and when their fingers touched, they quickly pulled it back.******

**_Holy Suzaku_, Tasuki muttered._ I can touch it! Or her...or whatever it was behind the mirror!_******

**Rei's thoughts echoed the same sentiment.******

**"Rei! Rei!" a loud knock came at Rei's door. It was her grandfather. "I heard noise in there. Are you alright?" he called.******

**Her gaze was suddenly drawn to the door. "Yes Grandpa, I'm fine." she said. When he bid her good night and assumingly walked away, Rei turned back to the mirror.******

**He was gone.******

***********   
**The following morning, Rei went to school with thoughts of the flame-haired spirit in her head.******

**_Who could he be? _she thought. _What could he be?_ At first she had thought of him as some kind of youko. With hair and teeth like that. But then, the fact that she couldn't feel any evil in his presence told her otherwise. And what was he doing there?******

**All of a sudden, Rei remembered why she was in front of the mirror that time...******

**Could it be?******

**For if he was no demon...he'd be...******

**Rei blushed to the roots of her hair.******

**No way!******

**It wasn't possible.******

**Was it?******

**"Blushing so early in the day?" Usagi elbowed Rei as she came from the side. "Ooooo...who did we see to have the blush of apparent affection?"she teased.******

**"None of your business, Usagi." snarled Rei, trying to hide her red cheeks.******

**"Hi girls!" an arriving Makoto called as she caught up with them. "Hey Rei-chan, did you try the spell we saw in the magazine last night?"******

**"Ofcurse not! Why should I? It's ridiculous." she said defensively.******

**"Geez, I was only asking...." Makoto dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I wanted tot ry it, but I fell asleep watching reruns of Mission Impossible...too bad." she shrugged her shoulders. "Guess I'll have to wait next year to find the man of my dreams...."******

**The man of her dreams....Rei thought...could he be?******

**But where would they meet, if indeed he was...how would they meet?******

**The first thing Rei did when she got home that afternoon was to proceed to the Great Fire. Donning her priestess robes, Rei sat in front of the fire place and began her ceremony. She closed her eyes, concentrating. Thinking. She positioned her hands in a prayerful pose and began chanting.******

**Great Fire...telll me of this entity...who he is...what he is...and does he bear good news or a bad omen?******

**The blaze in the fireplace erupted, surrounding Rei in a ring of fire. And images began showing themselves in Rei's head. Him. The flame-haired one. Donned in a black coat and leading a group of....bandits?She wans't sure though they seemed to look like that. He was wielding an iron fan...shooting flames out of it. And then...he disappeared. There was all blackness again. It stayed that way for a few minutes until a new image apeared . One of a girl. A pretty young girl with long brown hair who wore a uniform. Rei recognized it to be one of the junior high schools around their area. Then there were people...seven of them including the flame-haired one. A handsome young man with the sign of an ogre on his forehead. A pretty lavender-haired woman. A beautiful emperor. A blue-haired monk with a scar. A child. A man with a kitten on his shoulder. Then there was a bird...the fire bird. The Phoenix, surrounding the eight of them with flames. Then the image faded slowly. A new one taking its place. This time it was a man...a very ugly one. He was large, fat, with slits for eyes and sporting a horned headgear. Something told her his name was....Genki? Zenki? Rei wasn't so sure. He was laughing...deviously, triumphantly, loudly...and he had his foot on top of a prone, fallen, bloodied body....which on clear view showed the flame-haired bandit....dead.******

**Rei opened her eyes suddenly. A film of sweat covered her forehead and she was breathing heavily. As if awakening from a nightmare. Good heavens...what was that all about? she thought. How frightening. She looked around and saw her two ravens, Phobos and Deimos staring bewilderedly at her. Rei turned back to the fire place and wondered.******

**Could the vision she had noticed last night be that of a spirit? A spirit asking for help because he had been wronged? By the ugly man in the horned helmet? Perhaps. Perhaps he was a soul asking for her assistance so he may get justice for his death? And may be the spell she had recited brought him out somehow, through the mirror.******

**So he wasn't the man for her after all. He wasn't the man of her dreams. He was a lost soul seeking for help. It was only by chance that he had appeared on her reflecting glass on that night of May.******

**_How selfish can you get, Rei?_ she berated herself. Thinking of your dream boat when here is a spirit who needs your help? Forget about your romantic illusions and do something!******

**She approached the mirror once more. _But how can I get to him?_ She asked herself as she touched the glass. _How can I help him?_******

**A flash of lightning.******

**A loud thunderclap.******

**And Rei disappeared.******

**[TO BE CONTINUED][3]**

**[BACK TO THE FANWORKS SECTION][4]**

   [1]: bluhdy1@angelfire.com
   [2]: wish.html
   [3]: wish3.html
   [4]: reigenfanworks.html



	3. Mistake Mistake

**WISH**

**by Kou Rei**

**Chapter 2**

**Mistake...Mistake...**

**[Continuation][1]**

**THUMP!******

**Rei fell almost flat-faced on the stone floor, her quick reflexes saving her from splatting on the concrete. Her hands hurt as they broke her fall. As she got up, she immediately noted the different surroundings.******

**_What is this place?_**   
****   
**She looked around. It was a bedroom. Definitely not hers. It was made of stone, with a neatly arranged bed of white linen. Simply furnished but indicated well that it had a masculine occupant. She turned around and saw a full length mirror. She touched it. It seemed to be the place where she came from. The last thing she remembered was thunder, then lightning, and as she had touched the mirror in her bedroom, she saw a quick flash of light before seemingly falling into a bottomless pit. It felt as though she was being pulled through a black hole in space before she fell with uncontrollable speed to the spot she was currently standing on.******

**Rei approached the window and took a peek outside. Her eyes widened upon the vision that greeted her. The place was full of men! Donned in long-sleeved shirts and coats with their hair in a bun on top of their heads. Horses walked about the area, with a couple of little kids running around. Her attention was immediately caught be a tall figure with flaming hair. He was accompanied by a slightly taller man with blue hair and dark skin. They were dressed in the same outfit as the others and talking as they strolled.******

**And they were headed her way!******

**Rei quickly scanned the area to find a place to hide. They musn't see her here! She wasn't quite ready to tell them she came through a two-dimensional mirror! She immediately ran to what seemed to be another door and slid thorugh it. She squeezed herself through an array of coats, shirts and pants in what obviously was a walk-in-closet.******

**"And for a while I thought he had given up his ambitious delusions." she heard one of the men say as the door to the quarters opened.******

**"I'm rather surprised too." the other one said. "After being ousted, I didn't think he'd still want to come back to Mt. Reikaku."******

**"He really wants to take over." Tasuki shook his head. "How long has it been? Four years? I thought that &$^% took up hermitdom and disappeared for good." He took off his soiled white shirt and threw it in a basket. He proceeded to the closet.******

**"That Enki...such a troublemaker." Koji remarked as he sat on Tasuki's bed.******

**Rei held her breath as the closet door opened. The hand that entered was a hair's breadth of touching her face. It fumbled clumsily for one of the white shrits on the hanger. Rei slipped off one of the tees and handed it to the invading arm. The owner was commenting on the "Enki" fellow and had obviously not noted the presence in the closet. Rei held her breath for as long as she could and only took a sigh of relief when the closet door closed.******

**She peered through the narrow closet opening and watched as the red-haired one put his shirt on. _Hmmm...nice body_, she smiled inwardly, stifling a giggle. _Now, now, Rei, control yourself,_ she lectured as she tried to focus on what the two men were talking about rather than how strangely eye-catching the flame-haired one was.******

**They spoke about the "Enki" fellow and from what Rei gathered, he was quite an ambitious one, wanting to take over the reins of Mt. Reikaku from whoever the leader was. She noted that the red-haired bandit was akin to cursing...*a lot.*Potty-mouthed man that he was. Her eavesdropping didn't last for long though, as the two men lowered their voices and exited the bedroom.******

**Rei quietly sneaked out of the closet a few minutes after they left. She tiptoed towards the mirror and faced it. She touched it, hoping to find a possible gateway back to her world.******

**Where is it? she thought irritably as she searched the full length looking glass. She ran her fingers across, searching. When it didn't work, she took out an ofuda scroll and closed her eyes to concentrate. _Show me the way out,_ she commanded, moving her scroll back and forth and across the mirror to find her way. Search for a clue, any clue, that may point the way out.******

**Rei stood there for over an hour, and found nothing. Darn, she said to herself. Now how the heck am I going to get back home?******

**She then remembered how she got here in the first place...and more importantly, why she was here. She was here to help out the red-haired fangboy she saw in her mirror before he gets killed by this person whose name now became clear to her...Enki. But remembering how he appeared, this guy didn't look like he needed help from anyone...or would want to be helped either. He looked strong and stubborn. And from the way Enki sounded, it seems as though, _he_ was the one who was going to need the help if the red-haired one gets his hands on him.******

**But her vision....******

**Rei's head turned when she heard the door opening again. She was standing halfway across the room from the closet door and knew that even if she dashed for it, the person at the door will be bound to see her before she got to the closet. Instead she went to an open window, and seeing the coast was clear, jumped right out of it.******

**She found herself in a backyard with several clotheslines. Deciding she should blend in the crowd, she borrowed a long, black, gold-trimmed coat and put it over her clothes. She tied her hair in a bun using a belt left to dry, and put it atop her head. Rei thought she should mingle along while looking for her way back to Hikawa Jinja, as the atmosphere didn't seem to friendly should she pop up in her miko robes asking for the way back to Tokyo. She had already taken several steps away and was whistling a tune when she felt something sharp on her neck.******

**"Baka...didn't you think we'd find you?" a voice from behind her said. Rei felt the cold blade of a kodachi on her neck and recognized the voice to belong to one of the men who had previously entered the bedroom. "Hiding in the closet isn't a very innovative way to spy now, is it?" he remarked slyly, "Turn around."******

**Rei had secretly drawn an ofuda scroll from her sleeves and when she turned about, she quickly slapped it on the forehead of an unsuspecting Koji. She had evaded the blade of the kodachi by less than an inch and ducked to kick Koji in the shin. The blue-haired bandit bent over in pain as Rei dashed towards the thick forest. The scuffle drew attention quick and the next thing Rei knew, she was being chased by a dozen Mt. Reikaku bandits.******

**Thankfully, she was quick on her feet and she lost the majority of them through the forest. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. And yet they seemd to be closing in somehow. Rei put on her brakes as she reached a cliff's edge, stopping just in time to prevent herself from falling the hundred foot drop to the rocks below. They're coming on in fast, she thought. There isn't much choice left. She drew her honshin stick in a blink of an eye.******

**"Mars Star Power, Make up!"******

**Tasuki was struck speechless when he saw their prey throw off her disguise (which were his robes, by the way ^_^) and was surrounded by bright rings of fire. Being the fastest on his feet, he had gotten to the cliff's edge way ahead of the others and was the lone witness to her transformation. He watched in a momentary bewilderment as her priestess robes were replaced by a strange-looking outfit in red and white. Her hair had fallen off the bun and spread like a black waterfall on her back. Her eyes, violet, had radiated a different kind of fire he had never seen in his lifetime.******

**"Bishoujo!!!!" one of his men nosebled as the bandits arrived by the handful. Tasuki struck the starry-eyed bandit with his tessen. Only then that he noted the rest of them were drooling too.**   
****   
**"BAAAKKAAAA!!!!" he screamed at them, knocking their head with the tessen. "That's Enki's emissary. get her!" he commanded. As though they had some sense knocked into them, the bandits slowly approached Rei, who was now in her fuku, to capture her.******

**"Fire...Stoooorrmmm!!!" she put her fingers together and released a blaze of heat towards the bewildered bandits. Acting quickly, Tasuki called out.******

**"Lekka shineeeen!!!" he cried, surrounding him and the few men close to him with a protective shield of fire to hold up against the raven-haired senshi's blast. And as strongly as his fire shielded them, a few unlucky bandits had their clothes caught by the flame, sending them running towards a nearby creek.******

**Sailor Mars' brows raised upon seeing the fire from the tessen, then recalling the vision The Great Fire had shown her. So it was true...he did control fire too, using his iron fan.******

**_So Enki's spy had powers_...Tasuki thought. He pointed his tessen towards Rei. "Surrender now, girlie." he threatened. "You may look strong but there's only one of you and there's a whole army of us."******

**"Sailor Mars surrenders to no one." she declared bravely. "I'll take all of you down if it kills me." she glared at them menacingly. "And do not call me girlie."******

**Tasuki smirked. She was a fiesty little thing. A far cry from a whole lot of helpless little females he had run into once too often. He admired her guts for wanting to fight all of them. "Look here, girlie." he said. "We don't want any harm to come to you, so give up now. Just tell us what Enki wants and we'll send you back to your little foreign village."******

**"I don't know what you're talking about." Rei's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I don't know anyone named Enki, in this lifetime or the previous one!"******

**Koji, who had appeared beside Genrou spoke up. "Don't lie to us. We know you were eavesdropping in Genrou's bedroom. And you bear different clothes. So come on over and surrender quietly. Otherwise we'd make you."******

**"I am not a spy!" Sailor Mars said defensively, now realizing what they meant. The two men had thought she was listening in on them in behalf of the Enki fellow. She changed her stance into a less defensive one but kept her guard up. "I came into this place by accident. I have no intention of spying on anyone or anything. I just want to find a way back to where I came from, that's all."******

**Tasuki eyed her suspiciously, taking her words in. Could it be that she was telling the truth? That she was not Enki's spy and had only come here by mistake? After a moment of pondering, he put his tessen down and took a couple of steps towards Rei.******

**"Genrou! Stop! She's dangerous..." Koji called, but his friend wasn't listening as he went forward stopping a mere foot in front of Rei.******

**He looked straight into her dark violet eyes, penetrating through their depths with his own golden stare. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" he challenged, a corner of his mouth lifting, baring his fangs.******

**Rei raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. "If I were from the enemy camp, you wouldn't get this near without me trying to assasinate you, don't you think?" It was her turn to smirk.******

**Tasuki smiled.******

**An hour later, Rei found herself on a table in the Mt. Reikaku stronghold. Koji had ordered a small feast as a sort of apology for their mistake. In turn, Rei apologized to the bandits whose clothes had been charred by her fiery attack. As a treaty had been exchanged, Rei accepted the invitation of the bandits to their stronghold for lunch. Which was rightfully so, as she did feel a little hungry.******

**"My wife is a wonderful cook." Koji beamed proudly as Mitsuko served a steaming bowl of noodles in front of Rei. "This is her specialty."******

**"Arigatou gozaimase." Rei told the pretty, chestnut-haired young woman. "This smells good." Rei took a sip of the warm broth. "Tastes good too."******

**"You're welcome." Mitsuko said. "It's the least we can do, after these two lunkheads attempted to send you off to Kingdom Come."******

**"You make us sound like cold-hearted killers, Mitsuko-san!" Tasuki took his place opposite husband and wife, beside Rei. "We thought this girlie here was Enki's lookout."******

**Rei glared at Genrou through narrowed eyes. "I have a name...and it's nowhere near girlie." she corrected.******

**"Whatever...girlie..." Genrou snickered as Mitsuko shot darts at him. She turned to the fire senshi.******

**"Gomen ne, what is your name?" the young woman asked.******

**"Rei. Hino Rei." the fire senshi replied.******

**"Spirit of fire..." Koji commented. "It suits you...after seeing that fire blast, ne Genrou?" he turned to his friend.******

**"I still think Girlie is a better terminology...oooofff!" Genrou choked as Rei elbowed him on his abdomen. "What the &#$@ was that for!!?" he screamed as his face contorted in pain.******

**"Rei. R-E-I. Not girlie. Rei." Rei stressed.******

**Had it not been for Genrou's deathglare, Koji and Mitsuko would've burst out laughing.******

**"Otou-san...." a tiny voice appeared from the doorway which opened, revealing a button-nosed chibi version of Koji. His green eyes (inherited from his mother), turned wide at the sight of the stranger on the table. He politely bowed his head, "Gomen, ne...I did not know we had a guest. Konnichi-wa..."******

**The scowl on Rei's face had turned into a brilliant smile. "Konnichi-wa." she bowed in return. "How kawaii...come here." She ruffled the boy's hair when he came near her. "And what's your name?"******

**"I am Ryobe-chan..." he introduced himself, smiling.******

**"What nice name, Ryobe-chan. You can call me Rei-san." she motioned toward's Tasuki's chair. "Would you like to have a seat, young sir?" she offered.******

**"In case you forgot, I'm still sitting here, Girlie." Tasuki interrupted.******

**Rei smirked. "I thought the leader of the Mt. Reikaku bandits was gentlemanly enough to let a little boy have his seat?"**   
****   
**Tasuki muttered a multitude of curses under his breath but before he could stand up, Ryobe had happily climbed the chair and planted himself on Genrou's lap.******

**"Ryobe-chan, you know it's not polite to sit on somebody's lap when they hadn't asked you to." Mitsuko reminded.******

**"That's okay, Mitsuko-san." Tasuki smiled at the little boy, "Ryobe can sit on my lap any time he wants." he offered his share of the soba to Ryobe who was only too happy to demolish it.******

**Rei found herself staring at the tender image of Genrou and Koji's son as the former reminded the latter not to eat too fast. They looked adorable, like father and son. Despite herself, Rei found her heart warming over at the sight.******

**"Somehow I find it hard to believe you came through a mirror." Genrou remarked later on as he examined the mirror in his bedroom. Rei stood a few feet away from him, her arms crossed over her chest.******

**"Still think I'm Enki's spy, don't you?" she retorted.******

**Tasuki shrugged. "These days you can't be too careful." he remarked. They had been searching through the mirror for the past hour and they couldn't find a trace of a passageway from here back to Hikawa Jinja.******

**Rei took a seat on the edge of Tasuki's bed. "Oi! Private property!!!!" the red-haired bandit protested upon seeing her there.******

**"Well excuuuse me, oh mighty Genrou-sama." Rei replied sarcastically. "I didn't mean to sit on your precious bed." she stood up and walked away.******

**"Alright...alright..." Genrou snarled. "You can sit anywhere you want to." he said begrudgingly. He didn't add that she was the first female to ever set foot in his personal quarters and sit on his bed. Rei smiled impishly and returned to the bed.******

**"Who is this Enki fellow anyway?" she asked casually.******

**Tasuki went into a full account of Enki's ambitous attempts of taking over the Mt. Reiikaku leadership and how it had been foiled with the help of a lovestruck Suzaku no Miko who had summoned her man through Genrou's ofuda scrolls. Enki had been exiled then, in oppose to being executed, and had not been heard of since. It was only of late when one of Genrou's emissaries had seen Enki around town, apparently with a new gang of mercenaries and had openly expressed his want to return to Mt. Reikaku and take over the bandit stronghold.******

**"Of course they are only $%#@=? rumors." Tasuki shrugged. "No one knows for sure. In any case, we'll be more than ready for them." he added, slamming his fist into his palm, a determined look on his face.******

**Rei sat still. She wondered about her vision of a bloodied Tasuki being stepped on by a devilish Enki. _Should I tell him?_ she thought. _Would he believe me?_******

**"I can't find anything here." Tasuki sighed, looking over the mirror. "How in the @#$@#& world did you pass through this?"******

**"If I had any idea, I wouldn't be stuck here thinking how to get home, would I now?" she replied irritably. She approached the mirror and touched it. If only I knew how...to get home...she thought.******

**Tasuki stood up from his crouching position and straightened his outfit. "Hrmmmph...if we can't find any doorways here, I may know someone who can..."******

**Rei raised a brow at him. "And who would that be?"******

**"Come with me." Genrou instructed as Rei followed him outside.**

**[TO BE CONTINUED][2]**

**[BACK TO THE FANFIC SECTION][3]**

   [1]: wish2.html
   [2]: wish4.html
   [3]: reigenfanworks.html



	4. A LittleTrip

WISH

by Kou Rei

Chapter 3

"I'd really prefer to have my own horse..." Rei said as Tasuki saddled his stubborn steed.

"You can ride a horse?" Tasuki snorted. "In that miko garb of yours? Don't be #@%$&$ kidding me."

"I can ride a horse in a ballgown." Rei protested. Seeing Tasuki wasn't listening to her, she marched off to the stable where the horses were and led a dapple gray stallion. She grabbed one of the saddles and began mounting the horse which seemed to be not the least worried.

"Oi! What the &$%^ do you think you're doing?" Tasuki screamed as Rei began settling on Fumaru's steed. "Get the hell down from there!"

"What is your problem?" Rei argued. "I am perfectly capable to ride one of these things, thank you."

"You might fall off and hurt yourself, you stubborn female!" he said irritably, trying to conceal the note of concern in his voice. She looked a little too small and fragile to contain Fumaru's horse, one of the more ornery ones in the stable. He was afraid the stallion may throw one of its temper tantrums and toss Rei off its back. No matter how much she got on his nerves, he can't help but feel a little worried.

"Hiya!" Rei ordered the horse forward, obviously not listening to Tasuki and heading towards the paths leading down from Mt. Reikaku. All the flame-haired bandit could do was shake his head while cursing his luck.

He had decided to bring her to Taiitsu-kun, as the old woman was the only possible solution to this dilemma. She had sent Miaka back to her world, she could probably send this hardheaded miko as well. Genrou was a bit hesitant to leave Mt. Reikaku even for a few days to make the trip to Taiitsu-kun's lair, but there was little choice. No one knew of any other way to send this raven-haired priestess back to her world, and none of his bandits knew how to find the magical old hag. He had left Koji strict instructions on guarding the stronghold against possible attacks by Enki.

"You know, you shouldn't have left Mt. Reikaku." Rei said as they rode side by side down the dusty road. "You could've just given me directions on how to find this Taiitsu-kun person. What if Enki and his bandits attack?"

"You wont be able to find Taiitsu-kun on your own." Tasuki assured her. "She's rather...picky. And besides...I know Koji can handle it, in case Enki does attack. And I can ask Taiitsu-kun to quickly transport me back there in case things go wrong. I can't leave you alone in a country like this, its dangerous."

Rei was about to retort that she didn't need protection, but held her tongue in check. Tasuki was only trying to be helpful, and being sharp-tongued wasn't exactly a token of gratitude. She should be thankful that he had volunteered to help her find her way back home and had not just left her to rot in the middle of nowhere. There was slight tinge of concern in his earlier statement and she was rather touched by it. She reached out a gave him a very light peck on the cheek that surprised him, almost causing him to fall off his horse.

"That was sweet of you, Genrou-sama. Thank you." she flashed him a warm smile, causing Tasuki's already crimson cheeks to grow even redder.

"I wasn't trying to be sweet." he replied annoyingly, but Rei ignored him and giggled at his red face. "Females." he muttered under his breath, angry at himself for reacting like a schoolboy.

They had ridden for hours under the grueling midday sun and Tasuki was sweating like a dog. Every once in a while, he glanced over at his companion whom he was sure was more tired than he was. It rather surprised him how she didn't utter a single word of complaint even if they felt like they were baking in an oven. He couldn't help but feel amused. She obviously wasn't going to admit she was aching to get down and lie on her back. _Proud, stubborn girl_. Yet he can't help but feel a little admiration for the tough-hided miko.

"Perhaps we should rest, girlie." Tasuki said, leading his horse towards a huge tree with a creek nearby. He figured that she wasn't going to be the first to say she was exhausted even she looked every bit of it so he thought he'd decide for them.

Rei didn't budge.

"What's the freakin' problem?" he asked irritably as he got down on bent knee and took a drink of the cool, refreshing creek water. He splashed his face with it, feeling refreshed. "You're obviously tired, swallow your pride and get your butt down here."

"I wish you would address me properly." she answered. "My mother didn't give me a name for nothing."

So that's what it was about. She resented being called girlie. Tasuki frowned. "Alright, alright...already. How about we have a seat and rest, Rei-san?" Is that better?"

"Better." a small smile lifted the corner of Rei's mouth. She quickly got down from the horse and kneeled next to Tasuki, taking a generous drink. The cool water seemed to have washed her the exhaustion away.

Tasuki took a spot beneath the tree and laid there lazily, staring at the fathomless blue sky. He sighed. He should learn to get along with this Rei girl. They were going to be travelling for little more than a day to get to Taiitsu-kun's hideaway and bickering every single hour of the day wasn't going to help. He didn't know why he was so defensive with this little female. She wasn't exactly annoying per se, but something about her set alarm bells in his head.

"You want to eat, Genrou-san?" Rei asked as she unwrapped a lunch pack Mitsuko had given them. The delicious smell of the still warm dumplings wafted to Genrou's nostrils.

"Okay." he said, taking a few and eating bite by bite.

"So tell me about yourself, Genrou-san." Rei opened up a conversation as she ate the food piece by piece. Genrou almost choked on his food upon hearing it. Rei promptly whacked him at the back to throw out the stuck morsel.

"W-why do you want to know about that?" he asked, after spitting out the piece of meat that had lodged in his windpipe.

Rei shrugged. "Nothing..." she said. "I just thought it'd be boring if we just sat and said nothing, ne? Heaven knows how long we're going to be on the road...might as well talk about something...anything..." she reasoned.

"There's nothing to talk about." he said bluntly. "My life isn't exciting to any degree."

Rei facefaulted. "Why are you so grouchy? I haven't done anything to you...Geez!" she got up from her sitting position and walked away. Genrou quickly sat up and followed her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded, holding her arm.

Rei twisted her arm away. "I'm going to find Taiitsu-kun by myself." she said irritably. "I know when I'm not wanted. Go back to your headquarters and leave me alone. I'll find my own way home."

"Look, I risk getting my home burned to the ground by an enemy just to help you find your Suzaku-knows-where planet, and this is the gratitude I get!" Tasuki screamed angrily.

"I never asked you to escort me to Taiitsu-kun! You could've just told me how to get there!"

"It's &^%$#$ dangerous! And I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you! That's why I accompanied you!!!"

"I can take care of myself! I don't need your protection!

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

They were both breathing hard, catching their breaths from screaming their lungs out. Their stares glued to one another, meeting in a battle of the rage. Neither one of them withdrawing. They stayed still for they know not how long until a neighing sound drew their attention.

"What the hell..."

Tasuki fell back first unto the ground before he realized what was happening. A huge gray wolf laid atop him, obviously thinking he was dinner to be served, and was beginning to bury his teeth into Tasuki's forearm. At the corner of his eye, Genrou saw that there were six more wolves as they made a dash for their other prey which was...

"Shimatta!"

With all his strength, Tasuki kicked off the wolf on his chest and quickly pulled the tessen from his back, "Lekka shinen!" he called forth a blazing fury towards the predator, sending the wolf running for its life.

He turned to see his companion pinned down by two of the wolfpack, tearing mercilessly at her. She fought off with what strength she had, kicking and struggling. Without second thought, Genrou ran to her and knocked the animals away with his booted feet followed by a wallop from his flame-throwing tessen.

"Shimatta, are you alright?" he asked as he tried to help her up.

"Never mind me..." Rei brushed his hand aside, "The horses!"

Tasuki whirled about and saw his horse jumping wildly. It had kicked off its would-be assailants, sending them away. But Fumaru's horse wasn't as gallant. It had pulled free from it's tie on one of the trees and had run for the hills.

"The horse...after it!" Rei cried. The flame-haired bandit was about to, but at the corner of his eye, he saw Rei's knees give way and he caught her in his arms before she fell on the ground.

"Holy Suzaku...are you alright?" he asked the raven-haired miko who was nestled on his chest.

"I'm fine...the horse, it's going to get away." she reminded. Tasuki knew at once she was lying, as her face was pale and sweaty. He noted her clothes were torn in several places and her right arm was bleeding. "Don't mind me...I'm okay. The steed...it's running away...." she tried hard to speak straight.

Tasuki carried her over to the tree where he leaned her. "Don't be stubborn, girlie." he scolded as he ripped off a sleeve of his shirt and used it to tie up Rei's bleeding arm. He wiped the sweat off her forehead and took some water from the drinking canteen they packed, giving her a drink. "You're going to be alright." he assured, taking his long blue overcoat and giving it to her as a blanket.

Despite the shock, Rei managed to lift a corner of her mouth. "I know." she laughed a little. And as her vision began to clear, she noted that his arm was badly bruised too. "Allow me..." it was her turn to rip off the hem of her already damaged skirt and wrap it around Tasuki's arm. He protested a little but her dagger look quieted him. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." she explained.

After a few minutes, the events of previous began to sink in on them, and Rei began to feel guilty for losing the horse.

"Gomen ne." she apologized, "It's all my fault. I never should've insisted on bringing that poor horse along. If I wasn't so pigheaded, we'd never have lost it."

Tasuki sighed. "Don't blame yourself." he assured. "You never wanted it to happen. It's not your fault. Besides...I'm not totally blameless." he shrugged. "If I hadn't picked a fight, we'd have noticed those wolves coming."

"No, it's my fault..."

"No, mine..."

They stared at each other in unison. A smile began to curve on their lips as they noted a recurring pattern. Tasuki spoke first. "Alright...it's both our faults..."

And the still atmosphere was filled by a burst of laughter.

The following day, Rei and Tasuki were seen riding together on the latter's horse. Rei taking the seat in front of the redheaded bandit. They had a full night of sleep after their exhausting ordeal, and they were greeted by warm sunshine and an early morning breeze. Tasuki had let Rei use some of his wardrobe to change her torn miko outfit and had teased her on looking like a little peasant boy in his mother's clothing, thus earning him a temporary lump on his head. She had taken a quick bath before he had woken up and she felt as fresh as a daisy.

"I hope I'm not causing too much discomfort." Rei spoke up first to break their silent ride.

"Do I have a choice?" he retorted, earning a snort from his riding companion. He had only been teasing, but she was right. He was a little uncomfortable, but not in the sense she was implying. Her proximity was rather disturbing. They weren't exactly squeezed together, but she sat close enough to him for him to feel the tickle of her soft hair on his chest through his open shirt and to smell the fragrance of lilacs on her hair. It wasn't the scent of manmade perfume, but the natural scent of a woman.

_#$@% hell, Genrou, what are you thinking?_ he berated himself on such a thought. He tried to rid of himself of this idea by thinking of his hatred for the opposite sex, how his sisters had maltreated him, how annoying it was to be controlled by females.

**She was sitting too close.**

**And she smelled so nice.**

As if on cue, Rei raised her face, hitting Genrou's chin with her forehead.

"Oooow!" they cried simultaneously.

"What the &^%$ are you doing?" he grumbled, holding his hurting chin.

"That hurts...ouch..." Rei touched her injured head. "I was about to ask you something...you silly carrot top! Were you dozing off or what? Your head was too close!"

"Well you didn't have to turn around to ask me something!" he defended himself. Hell she was right....he was a little too close, but he didn't want her to notice. "What is it anyway?"

Rei was about to say his gentle breath on her neck was a little discomforting, but said something else instead. "I was going to ask you how long do we have to travel to get to this Taiitsu-kun person? My grandfather may be worried off his head."

"Not far now." he replied. Rei eyed him skeptically, obviously not believing him but said nothing. Tasuki straightened his back, trying not to get caught again. It was hard not to acknowledge her presence. Something about her was terribly distracting. "You'll be home sooner than you think."

It was a good thing her back turned to him, Rei thought. Otherwise, he'd definitely notice the crimson in her cheeks. She was more embarassed than hurt with what had happened. Maybe she had leaned on just a little too near him so when she looked about, so she hit his chin. But it felt wonderful leaning against his strong frame, which occured no matter how hard she tried to prevent it, especially when she felt drowsy. His presence made her feel protected.

And he had protected her, in a way...not that she asked for it...

_Why am I denying?_ she thought. _What was I denying?_ was more appropriate.

They stopped over for lunch by a huge tree that provided a lot of shade. Rei tried to open up a conversation but Tasuki was a bit of a recluse. He didn't talk much and answered as briefly as possible. She asked a bit about the Suzaku seishichisei and all she got were short sentences. Especially when he mentioned about Suzaku no Miko, a girl from her world who got lost in Konan and turned all seven lives about.

"What does she look like?" Rei asked as she cleaned up their leftovers. "Maybe I know her?"

"She's a girl like you. Looks like a girl, talks like a girl..." he paused thoughtfully, "Though she doesn't quite eat like a girl judging from your appetite..." he smirked.

Rei laughed, understanding what he meant. "I see..." she nodded thoughtfully, "I have a friend like that, Usagi."

"But even so..." Tasuki interrupted, "Miaka's a special person. To all of us."

She didn't miss that gleam in his eye, and she smiled inwardly. This Miaka person obviously meant something more to this flame-haired bandit. Much more than he cares to admit, anyway.

And how she wished she could feel that way about somebody too...and perhaps...have her feelings returned.

"Oi, why the long face?" Tasuki raised a brow. He held out a hand to her to assist her standing up. "Missing somebody, ne?" he teased. "Your koibito must be worried sick about you..."

"I don't have one." Rei replied promptly.

He shot a look of pure disbelief. "I find that &$%#+ hard to believe. You're too pret...errr...too old not to have one."

"Whaattt?" her vein popped and she decked Genrou with a fist, knocking him off his feet.

"Ayiii....what I meant was, you're already what...eighteen? Shouldn't you be married or something?" he corrected himself. "Miaka married Tamahome when she was eighteen."

She pouted. "I think I'm too young to be tied. And besides, I haven't found a man I'd want to marry. Not that I'd really want to. I'm not exactly fond of men, you know."

"And why is that?"

"I've had problems with them, first hand..." she said, "My father wasn't exactly a very ideal example of one. He was away a lot, and he left me home with only my Grandfather to watch over me."

"Oh." Genrou nodded in understanding. "I feel the same way about females. My father wasn't home a lot either. My five older sisters and mother bullied me more often than not. That's why I ran away from home and joined the Mt. Reikaku bandits."

"I see..." Rei was surprised about Tasuki revealing this side of his personality. But it was good that they were finally *talking.* Things are certainly beginning to look up.

"C'mon." Tasuki assisted her way up the horse. "Let's move. It wont be long before sunset and we should find a more decent place to set camp."

Rei nodded and got up the horse. And as they rode along her mind was preoccupied with Tasuki's statement regarding his dislike for the female genre...with the exception of this Miaka girl. It was pretty obvious he liked her more than he cared to disclose. And perhaps it wasn't just liking. Could it be that he more than liked her? She was dying of curiosity, but she was pretty certain he would die first before he confessed.

Her thoughts shifted to his other comment about her not having a koibito. What did he say? That she was too old not to have one? But no...he had said something before mentioning the word old...was it pretty? No...he had said "pret" before cutting off and correcting it. It would have been nice to think he might've meant "pretty." She would like to think he thought she was attractive in a way...but then he could've meant "pretentious" or some other word...

_Why do I want his approval?_ she berated herself. _Why do I want him to think of me that way?_ Could it be that she was...attracted to this carrot top?

No!

Yes...

No...

Da?

No da!

Huh? Rei thought she was only hearing things in her head when she realized the horse had stopped. She looked around to see why when she noted the blue-haired monk standing the roadside.

"Chichiri ne!" Tasuki screamed with delight as he jumped off his horse and dived towards the monk who popped into three chibi pieces and ran for his life. Tasuki caught one of the chibi forms and hugged it, almost choking it to death.

"Tasukeeeteeee!!!" the chibi monk yelped as he tried to free himself from Genrou's airtight embrace. By the time Tasuki released the poor thing, he was almost as blue as his hair.

"Are you alright?" Rei jumped off the horse and approached Chichiri, fanning him. The wandering monk was initially dazed, but popped back into consciousness and reverted to his original form.

"Hello, no da!" he stood up and shook Rei's hand vigorously. "I am Chichiri, no da! A wandering monk and a good friend of Tasuki-kun, no da!" He tipped his hat off to which Rei responded with a bow.

"I am Hino Rei, Shinto no Miko from Tokyo. Pleased to meet you Chichiri-san." she introduced herself, smiling at the monk. She liked him instantly.

Chichiri nudged Genrou with an elbow. "Gen-chan, where are you going with this nice little lady, no da?" there was a teasing tone in his voice.

Genrou pouted, "We're going to Taiitsu-kun's place. This girlie here lost her way, found herself in my quarters and we're looking for a way to send her back to Tokyo." his deathglare caused the other Suzaku seishi to sweatdrop.

"Well why are you trudging all the way through this dirt path, no da?" Chichiri smiled. "I can take you there, in a snap. No da! Unless...Gen-chan wants to prolong the trip...no da?" he paused to cast another teasing look at Tasuki who was anything but smiling.

"I'd appreciate that." Rei clasped her hands happily, then turned towards her red-haired companion, "That is alright without you, Genrou-san, ne?" she asked tentatively. "I can just go with your friend Chichiri-san and you can go back to Mt. Reikaku."

"I'll come with you." Tasuki answered, still giving his monk friend the deathglare. "I didn't come all this $%#@& way to go back now. And I want to make sure you get home safely." he stressed. Chichiri suppressed his laughter as Genrou was still shooting that *look* towards him.

"No da! Prepare yourself then, no da!" and with his kasa, Chichiri began teleporting them to Taiitsu-kun's abode.

A half-hour later, Tasuki and Chichiri were at Taiitsu-kun's lair, while the old woman was speaking in private to Rei. The last two living Suzaku shichiseishi were sipping a drink in the den, Chichiri filling his cup with tea while Tasuki downed cup after cup of sake.

"Take it easy, Gen-chan." Chichiri told his friend who gulped one cup after another. "You wouldn't want to make a bad impression on the nice little miko, ne?"

"Shut up, Chichiri." Genrou told his scarred friend. "I don't care about impressing anyone or anything."

"That's not what I see...no da" Chichiri observed, making Genrou give him that stare again. "Perhaps they should put a warning sign over miko's heads, no da? Lest they go on breakng hearts again...no da..."

"Just what the hell are you implying Chichiri?" Genrou's speech was becoming a little slurry from all the sake he ingested. He was about to say more when Taiitsu-kun appeared with Rei.

"I can send her back to her world." the old woman replied. "But I can't do that here. It should be done at the place where she first entered this world."

"You mean through the mirror in my bedroom?" Tasuki spoke up.

Taiitsu-kun nodded. "Yes, we'll have to do it there. But not today. The planets are not aligned properly. Tomorrow morning we shall do it. And I'm going to need you two to help."

[TO BE CONTINUED][1]

[BACK TO THE FANFIC SECTION][2]

   [1]: wish5.html
   [2]: reigenfanworks.html



	5. Is This Goodbye?

**WISH**

**Chapter 4**

**Is This Goodbye?**

**by [Rei Kou][1]**

The sky was looking extremely beautiful that night. The stars twinkled by the thousands, simultaneously, lighting the black, velvet sky. The moon, in full bloom, seemed to be smiling down the serenity of Konan. It was too breathtaking to pass and Rei allowed herself to be tempted by it, walking out of her room and stepping out the balcony of Taiitsu-kun's abode. She took a breath of the cool evening breeze, feeling rejuvenated. She couldn't contain a shiver despite the thick fabric of her sleeping gown. She hugged herself as she gazed up the silver ball of light in the sky. It was so peaceful, so wonderful, even romantic to some degree.

It would've been lovely to share this with someone. Someone special.

But Tasuki, last time she saw him had dozed off drunk on the tea table.

Rei blushed. Why was the flame-haired bandit the first person to come to her mind when she had romantic notions? She couldn't possibly be attracted to that potty-mouthed, woman-hating, carrot top, could she?

It wasn't possible! The only reason he came to mind was because he was her companion for the past two days as they travelled to find Taiitsu-kun. She couldn't possibly be romantically inclinated to this bandit, could she? No way! She'd only known him for two days! Besides, he was too stubborn and foul-mouthed and short tempered.

But then he was sweet too...even if he vehemently denies it. He was caring, gentle and funny....

The fact that he was physically gifted didn't hurt either...

"Don't be kidding yourself Rei..." she spoke aloud, scolding herself. "He's out of your league...he's, he's a bandit for crying out loud...he's ornery and he curses like a sailor...and he doesn't even like you...he..."

"Who curses like a sailor?" a voice came from behind.

Rei almost jumped off the balcony from surprise, but kept her nerves and composure on check. Perspiration flooded her face in an instant when she turned about and saw the bearer of the slurry voice.

"Oh, hello Tasuki-san...." she barely got the words off her mouth. Rei summoned all her willpower to keep from turning red. By God how did he get here without her hearing him? "You're up..." she said.

Tasuki walked uneasily towards her, almost falling out of step, when Rei caught and assisted him. She leaned him against the banister of the balcony where he somewhat regained his footing.

"You're still up." he commented in his drunken voice. Rei could still smell the sake in his breath.

"I can't sleep." she reasoned.

He nodded. "Excited about going home I see..." he said. Rei merely mouthed an uh-uh as she turned away. There was a stillness in the air after that. Rei kept her eyes focused on the night sky, though she could see Tasuki's profile at the corner of it. His sight was nailed to the atmosphere above as well.

"Uhmmm...before I forget..." Rei spoke to break the absolute quiet, "I'd...like to thank you very much for showing me the way here, Tasuki-san. It was really nice of you..."

Tasuki snorted. "Don't thank your stars yet...you're still here...."

Rei smiled at him. "I'm already a step closer to home, and that's good enough for me. You were very helpful to me. Thanks."

"It's nothing..." he dismissed. "Just go home and keep out of my mirror...will ya?" he retorted. Another moment of silence occured. It was Tasuki who broke it. "But ya know somethin?"

"What?"

He muttered something incomprehendable under his breath and Rei turned her head closer to try to hear what he was saying. At that very instant, he lost his balance and fell forward, Rei catching him in her arms. He was too big and heavy for her and they slumped on the floor with Rei landing on her butt and Tasuki falling on her knees.

"I'll miss you..."

"Wha?"

But he had already passed out from drunkedness.

Rei felt the color all over her face as she watched the flamed-haired bandit doze on her kneecaps. He had been knocked out cold from all that sake he had taken in. But not before telling her something that set her heartbeat on an erratic rhythm.

"I'll miss you...." Rei repeated the word she heard come from his drunken lips. She pinched herself to convince herself she wasn't dreaming. Could it be....Did she hear him right? He may have been dazed, but she wasn't and she heard it clear and correct. But then...

She straightened her legs and his sleepy head fell comfortably atop them. Rei tried to crawl out from Genrou's pin of her but she couldn't get out. He was six feet and all muscle. All but crushing her petite frame. He slept peacefully on her lap. She sighed and leaned on the banister of the balcony, hoping that he'd move in his sleep and get off her in an instant. As she waited for him to move over, her eyes were again drawn to the stars above. If someone would see them, one would've thought they were lovers...

_Lovers?_ Rei thought, smirking. Hardly likely. They've barely known each other, and every time they'd get into a conversation, it usually ended up in an argument. And yet...it wasn't thoroughly unthinkable, was it? She shook her head vigorously to rid herself of the romantic thought.

Her stare turned again towards her sleeping companion. He was sleeping like a baby. Rei couldn't resist the temptation so she reached out and touched his hair. Her fingers touched the aberrant strands very lightly. His flaming mane was soft to the touch, light and feathery. Silken. She flinched away when he moved and turned about to lay comfortably across her lap. He was still deep and slumber and obviously had not felt her touching his red strands.

"I'll miss you too...you silly carrot top..." she said softly.

Rei leaned back and took the midnight view in perspective. Still she waited for him to move his heavy frame away from her. She closed her eyes, savoring the coolness of the night, breathing in the crisp air of the breeze. Before she had known it, she had also fallen asleep.

*******

"I won't tell. Promise, no da..." Chichiri began his myriad of teasing early that morning as he watched Genrou dress up. The masked monk laughed heartily at Genrou's litany of curses thrown at him.

"Any more of your *&^%$ and I'll wipe that smile off your mask." snarled Tasuki. Chichiri, early riser that he was, had witnessed the scene at the balcony from the previous night and had begun teasing both involved parties to no end. He went about taunting the two of them despite their severe denials.

"Let's go." Taiitsu-kun announced, gathering the two Suzaku seishi. Rei followed close behind.

Tasuki's jaw dropped when he saw the raven-haired senshi. She had come here dressed in Tasuki's clothing but she was now dressed differently. Taiitsu-kun's servants had given her a pretty dress to wear. It was high-necked and short-sleeved. The fabric was of red silk with intricate gold patterns on it. The skirt extended all the way to her ankles but had a slit up to her knee. Her feet were protected by red-strapped sandals and her hair fell like a black cascade on her back. And despite himself, Tasuki could not help but admire her.

"You look absolutely radiant, Rei-san, no da!" Chichiri echoed Tasuki's thoughts as he approached the fire senshi and kissed her hand.

"Arigatou gozaimase." Rei smiled. "You flatter me too much, Chichiri-san." and the two laughed simultaneously.

"Come on, we haven't got all day." Taiitsu-kun informed them. Chichiri threw his hat in the air and the four of them were transported immediately to Mt. Reikaku.

*******

_This isn't &*%^& right_, Genrou thought. His eyes were drawn to the fire senshi as they stood in front of the mirror in his quarters at Mt. Reikaku. They awaited as Taiitsu-kun was examining the 2-dimensional passageway. _She's not of this world. She belongs somewhere else. And besides, how can she the hell would she be attracted to someone like me?_

Rei chose that instant to look at Tasuki, causing him to turn red. She giggled as he blushed like a redbeet and scratched his head. Tasuki quickly looked away. _She musn't know...she couldn't know...shimatta...why the hell am I acting this way?_ He wished at that moment he could stop his cheeks from flushing but he can't help it. For some silly reason he felta little flutter in his stomach when he looked at her, when his eyes would meet hers. It began the moment he first saw her change into that strange outfit of hers and dare challenge him and his legion of bandits.

**_Genrou no Hentai_**! he could almost hear Koji taunting him. He knows his friend is going to tease him to no end if he finds out how the mighty Genrou turns red at the sight of the girl from the other world. His thoughts were immediately put to a halt when Taiitsu-kun began to talk.

"It's not as difficult as I thought." the old woman spoke up. "We can send her back to her world the way we had sent Suzaku no Miko." She gathered all three of them around the mirror. "All we have to do is concentrate our thoughts to sending her back where she once was."

Rei stood in the middle as she was surrounded by the three of them. She took a glance at the flame-haired bandit and their gazes locked for an instant before he withdrew. Rei was about to open her mouth to speak, but held her tongue back at the last instant.

_I wonder if he remembered what he said last night_, she thought. She wanted to ask him, but modesty preempted that deed. He probably doesn't even remember, as he was dead-drunk. Rei suddenly realized that that might have been it. He was just drunk. And every other human being knows that drunks tend to mouth off words they don't always mean nor understand. They tend to do or say things they forget they did. She then felt her heart go flat at that realization. He didn't mean it. He wasn't going to miss her. He probably even was happy to get rid of her. Was that why he didn't want to look at her in the eye?

"Now, we begin." Taiitsu-kun announced. And with that, all four of them closed their eyes. Rei shut her eyes tight, trying to rid the vision of Genrou she was seeing in her mind. But it was difficult not to think of him. Taiitsu-kun told her the night before that this trip may be one-way. That once she left she would never be able to return. That meant not seeing the silly redheaded bandit again. And she knew, right then and there that she was going to miss him. She had only known him for a couple of days, and deep inside, she wanted to know him better. Perhaps talk to him about his past or his future or whatever he wants to talk about. Sure they had arguments now and then, but she knew that beyond that, maybe there was *something* they could discuss. Wasn't there?

_No, no, no. It's not right, _her alter ego told her. _Tasuki is out of your league. He belongs to this world and you to another. It just won't work. You have other things to attend to...Hikawa Jinja, Grandfather, your dreams, your friends. There was so much to go back to in Tokyo. There's nothing for you in Mt. Reikaku. Nothing._

**_Tasuki-kun...._**

**_I'm going to miss you..._**

**_I hope I see you again someday...._**

**_Goodbye..._**

"Stop!"

Taiitsu-kun screamed suddenly, causing the rest of them to open their eyes in a flash. The three of them stared bewilderedly at the old woman. "I can't send you home." she told Rei. "Not like this."

"Why so, Taiitsu-kun?" a look of worry crossed her face. She can't go home?

The old enchantress' eyes shifted sideways towards Tasuki. "There's someone holding you back. Someone who doesn't want you to leave."

"Well what the hell are you looking at me for?" Tasuki screamed. "I didn't do anything!"

Taiitsu-kun snorted. Chichiri snickered. Rei stood there and stared at Genrou with a questioning look on her face. The little woman motioned to Genrou with her finger. "Come here, young man." she pulled off the Mt. Reikaku bandit aside and spoke to him behind a dressing panel. Rei and Chichiri were left in the middle of the bedroom.

"But it wasn't him..." Rei almost told Taiitsu-kun. It wasn't Tasuki who was holding back. It was her. It was she who was reluctant to go back to Hikawa Jinja this soon. Much as she wanted to return home, a part of her wished to stay longer at Mt. Reikaku, to be able to know Tasuki better, if not anything else. It was her who didn't want to leave, unless....

Tasuki felt the same way?

"I can't send her back to her world if you keep giving out opposing signals!" the little woman scolded Genrou.

"I am NOT sending out negative thoughts! Why the hell are you pointing your finger at me?" Tasuki retorted.

"Don't get smart with me, you redhead! I know this spell very well. And all the reluctant forces are coming from you." Taiitsu-kun concluded. "But then, I do detect a negative factor from Rei-san as well..." she said otherwise. She raised a brow at the Mt. Reikaku bandit. "You don't want her to go, do you?"

Tasuki averted his gaze. "None of your business."

"I make it my business." Taiitsu-kun stressed. She tapped her foot impatiently, "Well you're getting your wish, anyway. The planets have misaligned thanks to your opposing output and I can't send her back at least until this evening. Hrrrmph!" she walked away. "I'm coming back tonight, midnight. And this time," she waved her finger at Tasuki. "No more holding back, or else she'll be stuck here for eternity, clear?"

Tasuki didn't answer.

Rei's heart didn't deflate at Taiitsu-kun's news. In all truth, she had felt a little flutter of excitement. She gets an extended lease on her stay at Mt. Reikaku, and she wanted to take this time to get to know more about Tasuki...if he'd let her that is. She thanked the old woman anyway and promised to be here in time. The old woman left with Chichiri in tow.

"No da, what for?" Chichiri asked the aged enchantress.

Taiitsu-kun winked conspiratorily at the scarred monk. "Don't tell me you didn't know?"

Chichiri nodded. "No, da! Of course I know, no da!"

"Actually I can send her back anytime." she said as they began passing through the portals. "I just want to give them a little time to...errr....enjoy each other's company." she sighed, her eyes turning dreamy, "And I thought there was never going to be a sequel to the Tamahome-Miaka romance."

Chichiri sweatdropped, "No da, Taiitsu-kun. I never thought someone like you would be a hopeless romantic, na da!"

"And what do you mean by that?" the old woman's stare shot darts at Chichiri who just turned chibi and ran away from the old hag's wrath.

Rei and Tasuki stood in the middle of the latter's bedroom, not knowing quite what to say. It was so still a pindrop could be heard. Rei was twiddling her fingers while Tasuki was whistling to himself.

"I..."

They spoke simultaneously. They then piped down again. After another deafeningly quiet moment, Tasuki spoke up.

"Gomen ne." he said, scratching his head. "I wasn't paying attention very well. You're probably angry you couldn't go home."

Rei smiled reassuringly. "That's alright. Taiitsu-kun told me I can come home tonight. I don't mind..." _and I hope you don't either_, she added inwardly.

"You errr....want a tour of Mt. Reikaku?" he offered.

"Uhm, okay."

There wasn't much to look at the bandit stronghold, but Tasuki couldn't think of anything else to show Shinto no Miko. He took her around the storehouses, the little houses, the stable. He introduced her to the bandits they passed by to whom Rei smiled in return. Not a few threw compliments at her and when she walked away, glances of admiration followed her.

"She's so beautiful..." Fumaru drooled as he scrubbed at his horse, who had frighteningly found his way back home.

"Genrou-sama is one lucky bastard...I wishI had a girlfriend like that...." another one nosebled dreamily.

Koji felt happy seeing Tasuki this way. He knew his friend well enough to understand how he felt towards the foreign girl. He never said anything but the expression on his face was more kiss-and-tell than anything. Koji hadn't seen this kind of emotion on Gen-chan's face for a long while. He was finally showing signs of attraction towards the oppsoite sex. For the second time around.

Rei and Genrou arrived at an open field not too far away. It was a downhill path with a small lake in the center of everything. The rest of the field was covered with green grass and a field of wild flowers. The sun shone brightly and the breeze blew gently. The view was so breathtaking, Rei had to trudge down there. She ran happily towards the lake sprinting and leaving Genrou behind atop the hill.

"Oi! Wait up!" Tasuki called. He followed her in a stride as she stopped by the lake. He paused a few feet away from her. Rei had picked a couple of white blossoms and inhaled their fragrance. Tasuki sighed. She looked beautiful with the sun's rays dancing on her hair, the gentle wind blowing through the strands of her ebony locks. Her cheeks glowed pink with health and the smile on her face took his breath away.

She looked like a goddess.

"I think this looks good on you." Rei giggled as she plucked off one of the flowers and put in in Genrou's red hair. She laughed heartily as he smirked annoyingly at the white blossom in his mane. He took it off and looked at it. A bug that was resting on the petal apparently got disturbed and flew on Genrou's nose.

"Ha ha ha...that's so kawaii..." Rei laughed as Tasuki tried to brush off the stubborn bug. He cursed at it as it whizzed about his face. By the time he had driven it away, Rei was sitting near the bank of the clear blue lake. She dipped her hand in the water, enjoying the feeling of coldness on her hands.

"It must be nice to have a swim here." she commented. "The water is so refreshing. You swim here often?" she turned towards Tasuki who surprisingly was looking rather pale.

"Hell, no." Tasuki replied defensively. It took a while before he got the words out. "I...can't swim."

"Oh..." Rei said, realizing. "Gomen about that..." she turned back towards the lake. "Too bad..."

"Do you want to?" Genrou said tentatively.

"What?"

"Go for a swim."

"No thanks." she smiled at him, causing his heart to do a backflip in his chest. "I don't have a swimsuit for one thing...and...well, it isn't exactly fun swimming alone you know?" she shifted her eyes to the clear waters, "Back at home I go swimming with my friends...Usagi, Ami, Makoto and Minako. We'd go for a picnic by the beach and have fun all day." she reminisced.

Tasuki took a seat on the bank beside her and folded his arms across his knees. "You miss your home, ne?" he commented. "You're unhappy with me ruining the spell to send you back?"

"No." she answered truthfully. "Of course I would like to go back. My Grandfather must be worried off his head. But I don't blame you for anything." she shrugged. "As Taiitsu-kun said, she can still send me back tonight. I just think of it as an extended vacation. I kind of like it here."

"You do?" Tasuki chose that moment to look at her. Rei's purple eyes met golden ones. They held that gaze for a brief moment before Rei broke it off.

"Nothing beats home of course." she emphasized. "Don't you miss yours?"

"Mt. Reikaku is my home." he emphasized. "And the Mt. Reikaku bandits are my family."

She thought she saw a tinge of loneliness in his eyes. Tasuki had lived under the rule of six domineering females. His father wasn't much of a father figure. In a way she kind of understood him. Though she had never been dominated by anoyone, her father didn't quite live up to his title either.

"Ever plan of having one?" Rei asked. "A family, I mean."

He was slightly taken aback by her question. He never really put much of a thought into that part of his future. Heck, he hardly remembered a time he ever thought of having one in the first place.

"Maybe." was all he could muster.

"Do...you have...uhmmm...someone waiting for you?" she was almost afraid to ask this question, afraid that he may give her an answer that would dampen her spirit.

A lopsided grin registered on his lips, "Whatever the hell gave you that &^%$#* idea?" he burst out laughing. Rei was glaring at him but he didn't seem to notice. By the time he stopped his eyes were filled with tears. "I can't stand women. Much less have a relationship with one..."

His reply burst her bubble anyway. "I can't imagine you having kids by yourself. Unless you're a hermaphrodite or something..." she rolled her eyes heavenward.

"A what?"

"A hermaphrodite..."

"What the freakin hell is a hermaphrodite?"

"A hermaphrodite is a being with two, err...organs of reproduction...both for male and female. That's why it can produce children without needing a partner." she explained.

"F&*^% helll....that's &^%$* gross!!!" he exclaimed. "Ugh...I'd rather be dead than be a freak like that."

"Which is why there aren't humans that are normally like that." she said. "It's a little too complicated." she shrugged. The expression of horror on Genrou's face made her giggle, and before she could control it, she burst out laughing. "You should see the look on your face...ha ha ha...you're so, so...petrified..."

Tasuki was aghast at first, and a little later irked. But her laughter had been infectious and soon enough he had found himself joining her. They had laughed so hard that when it all piped down they both had tears in their eyes.

"Oi, don't cry..." Tasuki reached out to wipe a tear that had fallen on Rei's cheek, drying it with his thumb. "It doesn't suit you." he spoke, then wiping his own tears with the back of his hand.

"Really now?" Rei self-consciously rubbed her eyes of the tears of laughter.

"You look better with a smile on your face." he said simply. Her cheeks turned crimson at his comment and she self-consciously turned her head away.

The atmosphere turned quiet again, with just the blowing of the wind to disturb it.

_He's so sweet,_ Rei thought as she turned to look at Tasuki when the redness of her face abated. _How can I resist such a wonderful guy? He's so different from the other guys I know. _"But you like kids, ne?" she resumed the initial topic of their conversation.

Tasuki shrugged. "Not exactly..."

"But you like Ryobe-chan?"

A smile formed on Tasuki's mouth. "He's a kawaii little boy...and he's nice, unlike some raucous kids I know..."

She didn't miss that tender look that crossed his face when he made mention of Kouji's little boy. "It all depends on how one is raised, I guess...if a child is reared by a good set of parents, then he'll grow up all fine." she flashed a warm smile at him. "I'm pretty sure you'll made a great father, Tasuki-san."

He turned tomato-red at her comment. "Eerr...arigatou..." he stammered, scratching his red mane. "I..think you'll be a good mother too...Rei-chan...ehehe..."

"What did you call me?" Rei said slowly, her brows raising. It wasn't a demand, but a gentle question.

Rei-chan, he had said. But for some reason he couldn't repeat what his subconscious had mindlessly uttered. Instead he merely looked at the raven-haired senshi. And she looked back at him. Normally, he would've averted his eyes elsewhere. Not now. Genrou held on to it this time, looking through the violet depths of her eyes. Inside his head there seemed to be a thousand words he wanted to say but right now he can't seem to find the tongue for them.

"Tasuki-san..."

KA-BLAAAMMM!!!

Rei found herself getting tackled to the ground by Tasuki when the explosion set off. He laid protectively above her as more explosions rung in the air.

"What was that?" Rei squirmed out of Genrou's hold on her and tried to stand up. The air was clouded by black smoke. She was about to run towards it source when Tasuki held her back.

"Don't be *&^%$% stupid!" he scolded as he held her by the shoulders. "Keep down." he ordered. There were a couple more loud exploding sounds followed by screams of chaos. All of which came from the Mt. Reikaku stronghold. Tasuki quickly flung a bewildered Rei on his shoulder and dashed for the nearest tree.

"What's going on?" she wondered, only to have her mouth covered by Tasuki's hand. They were concealed by a large tree and a myriad of bushes. The Mt. Reikaku bandit hushed Rei and peered over to his shoulder to see what's happening. He moved carefully to a spot where he could better see. He restrained himself from reacting at the sight he beheld and quietly returned to his post next to Shinto no Miko.

"What's wrong?" she said in a voice merely above a whisper. The expression on Genrou's face made her uneasy.

"Mt. Reikaku is under attack." he declared stiffly. "By Enki."

[TO BE CONTINUED][2]

[BACK TO THE FANFIC SECTION][3]

  


   [1]: mailto:bluhdy1@angelfire.com
   [2]: wish6.html
   [3]: reigenfanworks.html



	6. This Is My World

Wish Part 6...This IS mY World

WISH   
Part 5   
In This World

Tasuki opened his eyes slowly. He clenched his teeth when a shot of pain coursed through his body as he attempted to move. His muscles felt somewhat sore and his head felt heavy. An unfamiliar surrounding welcomed him as he stared unto a ceiling he knows was not of his home. He tried moving his head to one side only to be surprised, as on his chest laid a cascade of ebony hair, and with it, an unconscious Shinto no Miko. 

_What happened?_

The events of the past hour began sinking into his head. And when he realized it, he felt a tide of anger rising within himself. _Wait til I get my hands on you, Enki, you &*$%^ bastard_, he said to himself. 

"You stay here." Tasuki had instructed Rei earlier as he witnessed Enki and his group of thugs attack the bandit stronghold. 

"I want to come with you." Rei insisted. "I can help." 

"I said stay, girlie. It's for your own good." he ordered firmly. And in a gesture that surprised even the redheaded bandit, he drew the bewildered girl in his arms and gave her a warm hug."I don't want you to get hurt." 

_Tasuki, don't_...Rei said to herself. She savored the warmth of his embrace, not caring what he meant by it, but wishing it was more than a brotherly one. When he withdrew from her, she felt a mix of sadness and a hint of fear. 

"Find Chichiri. He'll get you home." he said finally. And with that he bolted away from her in his seishi speed and headed towards the burning village. 

Even Tasuki was overwhelmed by the number of thugs Enki had with him. They were the size of an army! His own set of bandits fought gallantly but they were severely outnumbered. Tasuki held his own, burning everyone he ran into with flames from his tessen. He went into hand to hand combat in some instances and made mincemeat out of them. But what he wanted was not a footsoldier. He wanted their ambitious leader. 

He found Enki in his quarters. 

"So, we meet again, Gen-chan." declared the rotund ex-Mt. Reikaku bandit. He was seated on Genrou's chair. "You haven't really forgotten me, have you?" 

"How can anyone forget a face as #$@^& ugly as yours, Enki?" he seethed. "You're going to pay $%&#@ big time. Lekka Shineeeeen!!!" he aimed his iron fan at the enemy. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." laughed Enki, and in a flash he had drawn a weapon that surprised Genrou. "Leeeekkaaaa Shineeeen!!!" he had screamed, blasting the flame-haired bandit with flames from the silver fan he wielded. 

"Oh no..." Rei whispered as she peered through the back window of Tasuki's bedroom. "That's impossible...a second tessen?" she wondered. She had gone against Tasuki's wishes and followed him all the way here. She had then transformed into Sailor Mars and had whipped a fair number of enemies with her own fire power. 

Tasuki lay on the floor, getting knocked off his feet by Enki's flame thrower. His spirit didn't dampen however and tried to get up. "You'll pay for that, a**h@le." he threatened and fired another blast from his iron fan. 

"Not in this lifetime!!!" Enki sneered and blocked Tasuki's attack with a fire shield from his own tessen. "Surrender now while you're still in one piece." 

"Shimatta." Tasuki got to his feet. "I'm never going to surrender to the likes of you. I'll ^&%$# die first." 

"If that is your wish." a diabolic laugh escaped from Enki's lips. 

Genrou had decided to take Enki on hand to hand combat and replaced his tessen at its holster. The obese bandit was slow to his feet and Tasuki decided to use his seishi advantage. "^&%$ you!" he snarled and charged at Enki full speed. The sudden change of pace surprised the other bandit and before he knew it, Tasuki had knocked him off his feet. The Mt. Reikaku leader used his fists and beat the crap out of his adversary. 

"Take that, and that..." he punched and kicked his fallen foe. 

"Oi, not too hard on the face." a voice came from behind. 

"What tha hell..." 

And before he could fully react, Tasuki found himself getting kicked in the chin by a large booted foot. He smashed against the wall, causing his mouth to bleed. The ousted bandit was not satisfied with this and picked a dizzy Tasuki, smashing his large fists against the latter's face. He threw Tasuki against the opposite side of the room, almost hitting the mirror. 

"Two Enkis?" Rei muttered. "But how?" she gasped as she saw the second Enki pull out a sword from his back. "I have to do something." 

"Now you die!" he declared as he charged towards a fallen Tasuki. 

"Burning Mandala!!!!" Rei called forth her ring of flames and sent them towards the advancing enemy. With that she jumped into the window and ran towards Genrou. The flames had stalled Enki and enabled her to pick up a dazed Genrou, half-dragging him with her. "We have to get out of here." 

"You shall pay for that, you little witch!" Enki dusted off his charred outfit and threw the sword towards Rei. She felt something sharp pierce her shoulder before she could summon a protective flame barrier. 

"I have to get you out of here." she told a half-conscious Genrou. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the enemy pull out his tessen and aim it at them. "I won't let you die, I won't." she dragged Tasuki and whispering a silent prayer, she stumbled towards the mirror. 

And everything was pitch black. 

Tasuki couldn't remember clearly what happened after getting his head smashed against a wall. He did recall however, a fleeting, blurred vision of a girl with ebony hair shielding him against Enki. He cursed silently as he surmised what occurred. He shook his hurting head. _She has got to be the most hard-headed female I have ever run into, he thought_. His gaze fell on the unconscious girl on his chest. "You're as %^&$# stubborn as a bull, you know that?" he told her. "But you saved me...arigatou..." 

"Rei-chaaann!!!" a cheerful voice called out from outside the door. And before Tasuki knew it, the door flew open, revealing a genki-looking girl with odangos on her head. "Aiiieeeee!!! Who are you? What have you done to Rei-chan???" 

The next thing he knew, he got whacked over the head with a pink purse string. 

"So you came from another world?" Usagi was staring wide-eyed at the now-bandaged Tasuki as she downed her upteenth rice ball. 

Genrou was staring in shock at the food Usagi had consumed in the past half-hour. "Uh-uh." he muttered. He couldn't believe there was another person who had the same appetite as Miaka. The human world seems to have an abundance of these kinds of people. 

"We have to be mum about this, Usa-chan." Minako commented as she tied the knot on Rei's injured shoulder. "We can't have people snooping inside." she turned, smiling conspiratorily at Rei."So you did try the spell,ne Rei-chan?" The golden-haired senshi stifled a giggle as her injured friend gave her a deathglare. "Maybe I should try it too." she said smiling. Fortunately, Tasuki didn't hear her, as his eyes were glued to all the food Usagi had consumed. 

"I have to go back." Tasuki declared as he attempted to stand up, but his aching feet gave way and he lost his balance. Rei whose reflexes were still intact quickly cushioned his fall and they landed atop each other on the wooden floor. 

"I think yot two look sugoi together." teased Usagi as the two crimson-faced fire-wielders tried to regain their composure. 

"You can't go back just yet." Rei argued. "You're not in shape to go fighting. You have to get better." 

"But my bandits...my friends..." his voice toned down, almost cracking. "My home..." 

Rei's heart broke seeing the look of despair on Tasuki's face. She knew how he felt, having been in the same situation many a year ago during the destruction of Crystal Tokyo as it was burned to the ground by enemy troops. She could understand the anxiety overcoming him as he thought of the people closest to him have their lives threatened especially... 

"Ryobe-chan..." the words almost inaudibly tumbled from his mouth. His facial expression changed as it came to this realization. The little boy was in great danger! She saw the worry in Genrou's face quickly transform into one of rage. "If Enki so lays a little finger on him...I'll...I'll..." and he broke out of her hold and made a dash for the mirror in Rei's bedroom. The raven-haired priestess quickly followed him, only to find the Mt. Reikaku bandit banging unsuccessfully at the full-length looking glass. 

"I've got to get there...I've got to get home...I have to..." he cursed as he tried to go through the closed passageway. "You shouldn't have brought me here!" he angrily accused Rei. "You should've just left me alone! You should've let me die..." 

"T-Tasuki-kun...." she approached the furious bandit who had tears of frustration streaming down his face. "Don't be angry with me...I just wanted to help you..." 

"KUSO! WHO SAID I WANTED YOUR HELP!!!!???" he screamed. "I told you to stay where you are! I told you to find Chichiri to get you home! But you didn't listen!!!" 

Rei felt a sudden rush of anger overcome her, feel the blood rush to the veins in her head. "If I had let you die in there, then what good would have come out of it? You'll only let Enki win...and then what? You'd have died for nothing! But now...you're alive...you have a chance...a fighting chance to get back at him, rebuild your stronghold...make a new start! If you let Enki triumph...he'll get what he wants, and those who had lived would continue on in suffering because you had lost your chance defending them." she explained, catching her breath. Rei only realized at that moment that she had been shouting too. "Don't be angry with me, Tasuki-kun..." she continued in a much gentler tone. "I couldn't just stand there and watch you get beaten to death, I..." and she suddenly remembered her vision of Enki gloating over a dead Tasuki's body. "Believe it or not I've had...premonitions of your death in your enemy's hands." Tasuki's eyes widened upon hearing her revelation. "I couldn't allow that to happen...especially when I know I can do something about it." 

And for a brief minute the two of them just stood there, the tension hanging in the air so thick you could cut it with a foreign object. Usagi and the others remained in the background, baring silent witness. Tasuki was breathing hard, and in a release of frustration, smashed his fist through the wooden floor, the other senshis gasped in response. Rei, surprisingly calm, said nothing. 

Slowly she approached the flame-haired bandit and kneeled beside his sodden figure. Risking getting verbally assaulted, she wrapped her arms around him, cradling his head against her chest. Tasuki didn't utter a single word of protest. "Shhh..." she comforted. "It's going to be alright." she reassured. "They're going to be okay...I know." She rocked back and forth, as if comforting a child. 

She held on for what seemed like forever, cradling the head of the flame-haired bandit who seemingly had relaxed after his emotional outburst. 

"Alright..." he spoke at last in a more pacified tone. "They'll be alright..." 

"We'll get Enki and his men, you'll see." she promised him. "We'll get back at them. Just you wait." 

Despite all reassurances, Tasuki felt he could no longer wait. He wanted his hands on Enki **_now_**. But there was little he could do. He was a million worlds away. Right at that moment, staring at the emptiness that was the night sky, his thoughts drifted to what could possibly be transpiring at Mt. Reikaku. How were Koji and his family faring? His other bandit friends? His drinking buddies? Although Rei had constantly assured them that they were alive, deep in his heart, he couldn't help entertaining these nagging thoughts that they may have not survived Enki's assault. 

_Will you stop being such a pessimist!?_ he scolded himself. 

He shifted restlessly on his futon. It was way past midnight and he could not get himself to sleep. Not when such worries about the state of his stronghold keep looming above him. 

_Maybe a little sake would help me_, he concluded. 

He almost laughed when he remembered he hadn't had a taste of his favorite beverage for more than 48 hours._ Amazing. I never thought I could stay sober for more than 24 freakin hours_, he grinned inwardly. Tasuki pushed the panel of his room and tiptoed, sneaking past the doors of Rei and her grandfather's bedrooms. He had been given refuge at one of the guest rooms at the temple. Rei's grandfather had been delirously happy meeting him, proclaiming the red-headed bandit to be "more than welcome at Hikawa Jinja", as the old man had apparently been lacking a male companion for the past year or so. His last lackey, a drifter named Yuichirou had left after inheriting his family's business. The old man had even given him priest wardrobes and insisted Tasuki call him "Ojii-san," much to Rei's embarassment. 

Tasuki began to wonder if there was sake in the temple as he searched high and low. He couldn't find a single bottle of the wonderful rice wine! He was about to sneak further into the other storage rooms when he passed by the fireplace. He noted that the fire was still lit. Fearing it might go unnoticed and burn the place, he approached it, nearly stumbling on a big pile of cloth on the floor in front of the fireplace. 

_Shi-ne! It wasn't a pile of cloth, but rather a human being..._

Rei. 

The dark-haired priestess was curled up beside the Great Fire, still in her miko robes, with ofuda scrolls scattered in front of her. Strands of her ebony locks falling across her serene face. She had been meditating all day for the past 2 days, trying to communicate with the spirits. Looking for a way to get through to Tasuki's dimension. She and her senshi friends worked overtime to find a way back to Mt. Reikaku. So far all of their attempts had been for naught. No amount of calculating nor meditating found them an answer to the question of how to get back there. She had fallen asleep here from exhaustion, having lacked any more strength to crawl back to her bedroom and sleep properly. Without second thought, Tasuki went on bended knee and brushed aside stray locks that had fallen on her beautiful face. 

_She's been working too hard_, he thought. _She really wants to help me out._ The thought touched his heart. 

He collected the ofuda scrolls and set them aside, afterwhich he gathered the sleeping priestess in his arms and carried her towards her bedroom. Once there, he laid her gently on the down-filled mattress and plopped a pillow beneath her head. He pulled an immaculately white blanket and covered her. Once he had her settled, Tasuki sat at the edge of her bed. 

The moonlight streaming from the window illuminated her face, softening her features. The flame-haired bandit sighed. Everything was so still all he could hear were the chirping of the insects and the sound of his own heart. Beating, as though erratically, as his gaze fixed on the sleeping figure. He nearly jumped out of his seat when she turned towards his direction. She didn't awaken, but merely changed positions, muttering a sound so low he could hardly hear it. 

But he did. 

"Tasuki-kun..." she mumbled under her breath. 

"Rei-chan..." he all but whispered in response. Tentatively, he reached out his hand...hesitating for but a second, before finally deciding to go through with his action. He touched, with one as light as a feather, the silken black strands that fanned her cheek. 

_Kami-sama, how could I?_ he swallowed as he withdrew his hand, tempted not to, but thought otherwise. _How could I leave someone like her behind? How can I go through with this without...risking another broken heart?___

For Tasuki had decided to go back to his stronghold and reclaim his rightful place at the helm of the Mt. Reikaku bandits and send Enki to hell where he belonged, without her help. 

Without Rei. 

Without his raven-haired priestess. 

He knew the cost of his decision. That he would shatter his once damaged heart again. That he would risk losing half his sanity in an effort to forget. That he would subject himself to another wave of pain, one more ruthless than physical suffering. Only because some things were not meant meant to be and because he could not allow hem to be. 

_Kuso._

If only he could teach his heart not to love again. 

For the brief stay he had had in Hikawa Jinja showed him a glimpse of what life was for Rei. She had her wonderful friends, her loving, if somewhat ecchi grandfather, her beloved pets Phobos and Deimos and her utmost faith and   
devotion to the path of Shinto which she had freely chosen. Asking her to come with him on that dangerous trip back to Mt. Reikaku to help him get his homeland back sounded heartless... 

And selfish. 

Especially since he could not guarantee her a trip back. 

A part of him would have liked for her not to go back to Hikawa Jinja, to stay by his side and be his... 

_Kuso._

How could he even think such a thing? He wasn't even sure if she liked him enough... 

Or love him enough... 

Did she? 

_Genrou no baka!!!_

He had decided. Finally. There was no turning back. He was going back to Mt. Reikaku, come hell or high water and get his home back. He had played this again and again in his head and knew it was the right thing to do. His heart ached for what he knew he could lose if he went back there, but he knew he couldn't deal with a graver loss if he chose otherwise. 

_What if **she** gets killed in the mayhem?_

He would never be able to forgive himself. 

And with that determination that had molded him from a boy into a man, Tasuki stood and approached the gateway that would forever be the link between him and the things that he held dear in his heart. In both worlds. 

Concentrate, he could almost hear Taiitsu-kun say. 

He took a longing look at the petite figure deep in slumber, wondering how far had she wandered into the pleasant world of the subconscious. Thinking that this may be the last he would hear her gentle breath and feel the ebony strands that tickled his fingers, he stared, etching into the recesses of his memory every line, every curve that made her the beauty that she was. Recalling the first time she had yelled out his name and he had looked into her eyes and got lost in their violet depths. 

_Sayonara..._

To be concluded.... 


End file.
